Animals Threats - Digital (Revised 25-04-2015) [PDF]

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THE SECRETS OF CATS:

ANIMALS

& THREATS WORLD OF ADVENTURE EXPANSION

Writing, Layout & Art Direction

RICHARD BELLINGHAM Editing

JOSHUA YEARSLEY Art

CRYSTAL FRASIER SARAH HORSMAN Additional Art

KELVIN GREEN RICHARD BELLINGHAM Special Thanks

BLAKE SMITH PATRICIA BELLINGHAM FRED HICKS ADAM JURY SEAN NITTNER ROB DONOGHUE

The Secrets of Cats: Animals & Threats Copyright © 2015 Richard Bellingham All Rights Reserved. First published in 2015 by Richard Bellingham [email protected] @sk1mble on Twitter http://www.sk1mble.wordpress.com/ Based on and containing material and images from The Secrets of Cats, which is Copyright © 2014 Evil Hat Productions LLC and Richard Bellingham, all rights reserved. This work is based on Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition (found at http://www.faterpg.com/), products of Evil Hat Productions, LLC, developed, authored, and edited by Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine, Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Fate™ is a trademark of Evil Hat Productions, LLC. The Powered by Fate logo is © Evil Hat Productions, LLC and is used with permission. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior express permission of the publisher. Express permission is hereby granted for personal use. This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, terrible, impossible, glorious things. All the characters and events portrayed in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to real people, haunting spirits, vermin, or magical talking shapeshifting cats is purely coincidental, but kinda hilarious.

FELINE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Parliament of Cats extends its special thanks to the following human, who shall henceforth be known as Patron of the Arts: Gareth Lazelle The following humans are welcomed into the Parliament’s Inner Circle: Demian Glenn Dobbs Jody L Conner The following humans are recognized as Honorary Members of Parliament: David E. Ferrell, Joe Sosta, John C. Faludi, Kevin Payne, Steven K. Watkins, Timothy Miller, Dom “By the Tentacles” Toghill, Todd Estabrook Finally, let it be duly noted that the Parliament of Cats acknowledges that the following humans are Not Such A Burden After All: Alexander Lucard, Aljen, Andrew Eakett, Andy Harsent, Ash Havery, Björn Bredthauer, Brian Hoffmann, Brian Isikoff, Bry Hitchcock, Bryce Perry, c. watts, Catwork Orange, Charles Crowe, Chris Bekofske, Chris Fee, Christopher Kurts, Cole Busse, Curt Meyer, Daniele Di Rubbo, David Olson, Delvidian, Derek “Pineapple Steak” Swoyer, Derek Ward, Dina Wilkens, DocChronos, Ed Kowalczewski, Emma Lord, Erica “Vulpinfox” Schmitt, Erik Ingersen, Ernie Sawyer, Evil Hat Productions, Fred Schiff, Gonzalo Dafonte García “Aikanar”, Gustavo Campanelli, Hans Messersmith, Herman Duyker, Jack Gulick, James Boldock, James Husum, James Martin, James Rouse, James Silvers, Jamie Wheeler, Jason F. Broadley, Jeff, Jeff Craig, Jeff Schmidt, Jeremy Rowland, Joe DaSilva, John “Shadowcat” Ickes, John Bogart, John H Reiher Jr., Jon Peacock, Jona Littler, Jonathan H. Wilson, Justin LaLone, Ken Finlayson, Kirt Dankmyer, Kung Fu Monkey - John Rogers, Lea, Marc Keil, Marc Tetlow, Mark A. Schmidt, Martin Helsdon, Matt Petruzzelli, Matt Whalley, Michael Bowman, Michael Sandlin, Michael Sands, Molly & Stoakley Lloyd, Nessa, Paul Mansfield, Paul Martz, Philip “xipehuz” Espi, Phillip Bailey, Randy “Amazing Rando” Oest, Richard Ruane, Robert Rydlo, Rol Hypnos, Rowan Wagstaff-Weston, S. Wibby, Samuel Munilla, Samuel Purdy, Samwise Crider, Schubacca, Seth Hartley, Shervyn, Stephanie Bryant, Steve and Sarah Gilman, Steve Lord, Steven D Warble, Svend Andersen, Techie Katie, Terry Willitts, The Roach, Timothy Carroll, Tom Drake, William Vaughn Wright, 林立人 Lin Liren

CONTENTS Introduction.................................................................... 2 PART ONE: ANIMALS........................................................ 3

Man’s Best Friend—Sapient Dogs.......................... 3



Nature’s Victims—Rabbits..................................... 5



Birds of a Feather—Corvids................................... 8



The Many-Legged Ones—Insects and Spiders........11

Spiders....................................................... 11 Bees........................................................... 12 Ants........................................................... 14 Snails......................................................... 16

The Sly Ones—Foxes............................................. 18

Interlude......................................................................... 20 PART TWO: THREATS....................................................... 21

The Undead........................................................... 21

Revenants................................................... 21 Devourers................................................... 23

The Invested......................................................... 27



Evil Cats................................................................ 31

Coda............................................................................... 36

INTRODUCTION The moon is full and bright tonight, and there is hardly any wind. Leafless trees cast tangled shadows all around you, and the air is crisp and cold. Your breath steams silver in the moonlight as you make your cautious way to the heart of the woods. At last you come to a clearing, and at its center the ancient Millennium Tree. There, perched at the tip of a branch, is an imposing gray owl who stares at you unblinkingly as you emerge from the trees. “You-ooo are late!” calls the owl, his tone severe. You open your mouth to answer, but he gestures for silence with one wing. “Let us not waste time with your excuses, kitten. Your teacher has sent you to learn from me, so sit down, stay quiet, and listen. “I have much to tell you about sapient animals and their magic, and the many threats that plague you cats and your human Burdens. And when I am finished, you can tell your teacher that I consider my debt to be discharged.” He tilts his head to one side, staring at you disconcertingly until you swallow, nod, and sit down on the chilly ground. When you’re sitting uncomfortably, he begins.

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PART ONE: ANIMALS Man’s Best Friend—Sapient Dogs Dogs have lived with humans for thousands of years, since long before your ancestors took on their first Burdens. In that time dogs have provided humans with companionship, guardianship, and service. Every wolf is born with the potential for sapience, and the same was once true of dogs. After millennia of being bred by humans for docility and obedience, this is no longer the case. Most dogs are clever, in a simple sort of way, but few of them are truly sapient. Given the often-antagonistic relationship between dogs and cats, that is probably for the best as far as your kind is concerned. Sapient pups are born most frequently of stray mongrels, or of dogs who closely resemble their ancestral form. Those breeds most heavily shaped by human hands are much less likely to give birth to thinking pups, but it still happens from time to time. The behavior of sapient dogs varies widely with their circumstances. Those who are treated well by their human companions work hard to protect and aid them, while those who are treated cruelly often become cruel and vicious themselves. Regardless, a dog’s natural prejudice tends to make them see a cat like you as a potential threat rather than a potential ally. Wild dogs are often bitterly jealous of the better treatment received by their tame brethren. At times this bitterness leads to violence—more than one unwary hiker has been torn apart by a pack of strays led by a sapient hound. Sapient dogs do not have organized schools of magic, but they are sensitive to the presence of the supernatural, and their history as pack animals gives them certain preternatural abilities. Like humans, dogs only have one name. This makes them highly vulnerable to magics that take advantage of a True Name.

Canine Character Creation Aspects:

High concept, trouble, owner, and 2 free aspects. Stray dogs have no owner and 3 free aspects.

Skills:

Same as cats, but with no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

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Canine Stunts Pack Think (Empathy): You’re capable of almost supernatural non-verbal communication, and can communicate telepathically with any canine you can see who also has this stunt. When communicating in this way your pack can use teamwork without speaking, as long as tactics and knowledge rather than pure physical ability are key to the action being undertaken. Something’s Coming (Notice): Whether it’s through an unknown supernatural sense or a combination of mundane senses, you’re almost impossible to sneak up on. You know when a sapient being—or supernatural threat—is approaching from a mile away. If the target is approaching stealthily or is concealing hostile intentions, roll Notice opposed by the target’s Stealth. Success with style reveals what’s approaching and its exact distance and direction; success hints at what’s coming and its rough distance and direction; and failure inflicts 1 mental stress and gives a hint of what’s coming but not its distance or direction. The Smell of Fear (Empathy): Dogs’ incredibly sensitive noses allow them to read emotions easily, and you’ve honed this ability to uncanny accuracy. You never have to roll to determine a living being’s current emotion; you always succeed.

Sample Canine: Pureblood Pureblood is a wolf-like stray husky who deliberately left her human home behind after becoming disgusted with the stupidity of the other dogs who lived there. She has become obsessed with the idea of breeding a pack of sapient dogs who look like her, and is now recruiting other sapient canines to her cause. As part of this, she has also begun to abduct local huskies to use as breeding stock.

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High Concept: Stray Husky Eugenicist Trouble: I Must Breed a Pure Strain Other Aspects: The Carrot or the Stick, Loyalty to the Pure, Humans Are to Blame Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Rapport Fight, Deceive Physique, Will, Territory Athletics, Investigate, Empathy, Provoke

Stunts: Something’s Coming (Notice) Pack Think (Empathy) We’re a Lot Alike (Investigate)—Point out that you and a foe are very similar. Roll Investigate opposed by their Will. If you succeed, each of you gains one of the other’s aspects until the end of the scene, and you get a free invoke on both. If you succeed with style, gain a second free invoke on one of those two aspects. Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Nature’s Victims—Rabbits Rabbits are very rarely sapient, to the relief of all ethical predators. Of those who are, some rule over warrens of ungifted rabbits while others are solitary wanderers. Rarely, sapient rabbits meet each other on their travels and dig new warrens that become populated by their thinking offspring. A rabbit’s life tends to be nasty, brutish, and short due to its position at the bottom of the food chain. As a result most are timorous creatures that exist to eat, flee from danger, and reproduce. The same cannot be said for their sapient brothers and sisters, who are capable of impressive feats of violence in the name of survival. However, sapience and powerful hind legs are not enough to protect a rabbit from anything inclined to eat it, kill it, or destroy its warren—but magic is another matter.

RATS, MICE AND VOLES What of these other common rodents? Rats are occasionally sapient, especially those bred for their intelligence or who live near humans. In very rare cases sapient rats can even access the feline schools of magic. I am relieved to say that I have never met a sapient mouse or vole, but I suppose there is a remote possibility that some might exist. It is generally safest to pin your prey and ask it a few questions before proceeding to eat it…just in case.

On reaching maturity, each sapient rabbit experiences a troubling dream in which they are called by a mysterious force. Most reject the dream out of fear or confusion, THE SECRETS OF CATS: ANIMALS AND THREATS

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but the bravest or most stubborn accept the call and depart their sleeping body to quest on the astral plane. The rabbit is tested during her spiritual journey, encountering dangerous spirits and frightening situations. Much is at stake, for if she quails or is defeated she returns to her body and will never again have an opportunity to take up magic. If she wins her way through, she then finds herself in the presence of a powerful spirit that resonates with her personality. The spirit congratulates her on the strength she has shown, and offers to enter into a pact that will grant her the ability to use magic. If she accepts, she becomes a shaman with the spirit as her totem. In turn she becomes the spirit’s anchor (The Secrets of Cats, page 46), and agrees to perform occasional services for it in exchange for its power. Most rabbit shamans bond with spirits of nature or the elements—growth, plants, wind, rain, fire. Some instead find urban or emotion spirits, while particularly tormented rabbits sometimes join forces with ghosts or spirits of death, decay, hatred, or pain.

Rabbit Character Creation Aspects:

High concept, trouble, totem, and 2 free aspects. Non-shamans get no totem but 3 free aspects.

Skills:

Same as cats, but with no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts. If the rabbit is a shaman, she can also use her totem’s spirit stunts (see below).

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Rabbit Magic A rabbit shaman on good terms with her totem can use any of its spirit stunts. She must pay the stress to activate them, using her own strength or sanity to fuel the magic in place of the spirit’s essence. Pick a suitable skill for each of the shaman’s spirit stunts; once chosen that skill is always used to activate that stunt. From time to time her totem will provide her with information or ask her to perform services. If she fails to keep up a positive relationship with her totem then it will withdraw access to its magic until she makes amends.

Sample Totem Stunts - Spirit of Revenge Nemesis: When you can see an enemy, take 1 stress. If you do, you will always know the exact direction and distance to that enemy until the end of the scene. If you wish to continue this effect for the next scene, take another stress. The stress taken to activate this stunt does not clear at the end of the scene unless you let the effect end. You can only use this stunt on one enemy at a time.

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Best Served Cold: Take 1 stress plus one for each zone of distance to your target. (For example, take 2 stress for someone in an adjacent zone.) Roll to create an advantage using Will opposed by the target’s Physique. If you succeed, you chill or partially freeze your victim, inflicting a situation aspect like Frozen. While this aspect exists, you can actively oppose any of the target’s physical actions by using Will. Eye for an Eye: After a foe inflicts a physical consequence on you, take 1 stress and roll to create an advantage with Fight opposed by your foe’s Athletics. If you succeed, using ghostly force you inflict a situation aspect named the same as the consequence they dealt you, and which heals as if it were a consequence of the same level. You can use this stunt no matter how far away you are from the foe. However, you can inflict this aspect only once per consequence, and you cannot use it for a recovering consequence.

Sample Rabbit: The Lop The Lop was once an ordinary baby lop-eared rabbit belonging to a young family and kept in a hutch at the back of their property. One summer the family went on an extended vacation and left instructions for a friend of the family to feed and care for The Lop in their absence. Unfortunately the friend never came and the rabbit was left to fend for himself. Over the next two weeks, The Lop nearly died from starvation and dehydration, but managed to hang on. Delirious, his mind expanded and he achieved sapience. With his newfound intelligence he was able to gnaw strategic holes in the hutch. He squeezed through to freedom, but not before a strand of chicken wire gouged out his left eye, leaving an awful scar on his face. That night he slept fitfully as he fought his way through the spirit world. Following the supernatural call, he earned the right to join forces with Heart of Ice, a spirit of revenge. Now he plots his revenge against the callous family that abandoned him, but he’s biding his time until the moment is right...for revenge is a dish best served cold. And woe betide anyone who tries to hurt that family before he does. High Concept: Trouble: Totem: Other Aspects:

Vengeful One-Eyed Lop Violence Does Solve Everything Heart of Ice (Spirit of Revenge) Fiercely Territorial, This One’s MINE!

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Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Fight Provoke, Territory Athletics, Physique, Will Deceive, Empathy, Notice, Stealth

Stunts: Scrapper (Fight)—Once per scene, after attacking something bigger than you, spend a fate point. Your target must absorb the attack with a mild or moderate consequence, if he has any remaining. Iron Grip (Territory)—You can never have more than two negative Territory situation aspects. Offensive Defense (Athletics)—When you succeed with style on an Athletics defense, you can forgo your boost to deal 2 stress to your attacker. Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Birds of a Feather—Corvids The cunning of ravens is legendary, and it is exceptionally rare to find one that lacks the gift of sapience. They are among the most intelligent and powerful of birds, second only to great owls such as I. Their cousins—crows, rooks, jackdaws, jays, and magpies—are less often sapient, but are the cleverest of ordinary birds. Young, unmated ravens roost in flocks, but mated pairs travel together and usually remain coupled for life. Their cunning and magic make them dangerous enemies, and mature adults have few natural—or unnatural—predators. Crows also mate for life, but as smaller birds they roost in flocks. It is common for a flock of crows to have two or three sapient leaders that provide protection and guidance. As omnivorous hunters with a taste for carrion, corvids are intimately familiar with the processes of death and decay. Their magic enables them to spread their wings between the realms of the living and the dead, giving them necromantic power over mortal remains and the ability to interact with ghosts. Juvenile ravens can be shaped into excellent familiars by human sorcerers, making the birds highly sought after. It is most likely you will face a raven as your enemy in the capacity of a sorcerer’s apprentice. Corvids generally ignore humans and other animals not seen as prey or an imminent threat. However, they are drawn to areas that will soon be afflicted with death and destruction—they are harbingers of strife. Like you cats, corvids are granted a dream upon reaching maturity that teaches them their True Name. Unlike you, their True Name always hints at the cause or circumstances of their death.

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Corvid Character Creation Aspects:

High concept, trouble, True Name, and 2 free aspects.

Skills:

Same as cats, but Flight replaces Athletics and no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Corvid Stunts Eye Witness (Notice): Humans once believed that by looking into the eye of a recent corpse, one could witness the last vision of the deceased. Corvids know better. By plucking out and devouring the eye of a corpse, you witness the last few seconds of the corpse’s life from that eye’s perspective. To do this, use Notice to create an advantage against opposition equal to the corpse’s age in days. Success or success with style grants a clear vision along with the relevant situation aspect, while failure gives a confusing and disjointed series of images that can still provide useful clues. Conduit (Will): You can raise a corpse from the dead by binding the ghost to its flesh. To do so, spend a fate point and undertake an hour-long ritual over the mortal remains, then roll Will opposed by the ghost’s Forceful approach. This roll is opposed even if the ghost is a willing participant. Success binds the ghost to its mortal remains, compelling it to rise from the dead as a revenant (page 21). If you fail, the corpse still rises but it is afflicted with a situation aspect like Bestial Rage, while success with style grants a useful situation aspect like Calm and Focused.

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Ghost Master (Will): You can use your affinity with death to bind a ghost to your service. This is a contest in which you roll Will against the spirit’s favored defensive approach. If you win, apply a Bound by [name] aspect to the ghost. If the ghost wins, then it becomes immune to your attempts to control it in the future. The control granted by this power isn’t perfect; you can invoke or compel the Bound by [name] aspect to make the ghost do your bidding, but the ghost can resist by spending a fate point to reject a compel or by opposing instructions with a relevant approach. This stunt explicitly works on ghosts that are currently revenants. NECROMANCY: THE BLACK ART? Necromancy interferes with the natural course of life and death, but it isn’t inherently evil. Corvids and most Parliaments of Cats see necromancy as a tool that can be used for good or evil depending on the circumstances.

Sample Corvid: Starwing Starwing is a young raven with a few white-tipped feathers in his wings. Until recently he was being groomed as a familiar by a cruel human sorcerer named Ivan. He managed to escape before the sorcerer finished binding him, and now he contains a fraction of Ivan’s power—which the enraged magic user wants back. Starwing is desperate to find allies but is struggling to get help from his fellow corvids because he is tainted by association with the human sorcerer. High Concept: Escaped Familiar Trouble: I Contain Some of the Sorcerer’s Power True Name: Fear of Dying Other Aspects: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures, Likable Underdog Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Will Flight, Burglary Rapport, Empathy, Stealth Deceive, Notice, Provoke, Fight

Stunts: Ghost Master (Will) Invisible Pockets (Burglary)—You can carry one or two objects as large as a chicken egg without holding them in your mouth. You can’t make them reappear if you know anyone is watching. Skittish (Notice)—Even if you’re ambushed, you always act first in a conflict. Stress and Consequences: Mental 4, Physical 2; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

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The Many-Legged Ones—Insects and Spiders Insects and their arachnid cousins can be found in huge numbers everywhere you look. Fortunately, it is exceptionally rare for them to be gifted with sapience; if this were not the case, we would likely all be slaves to an insect nation.

Spiders Spiders are sapient more often than any other arthropod—and the bigger the spider the more likely it is to be gifted. Spinners and trap-makers beyond compare, sapient spiders are highly sought after for their ability to weave magic into silken charms. They can be hard to find, however, as they prefer a solitary life and rarely advertise their intelligence. Female spiders are larger and more commonly sapient than their male counterparts, and are often dismissive towards males of any species. A spider’s True Name encompasses her purpose in life. That might be to collect secrets, discover arcane lore, protect a particular animal or person from harm, or something less mundane. Spider Character Creation Aspects: High concept, trouble, True Name, and 2 free aspects. Skills:

Same as cats, but with no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Spider Stunts Fate Spinner (Craft): You can spin a delicate gossamer construction that confers a blessing or curse on its target. This power works as per the rules for creating an advantage with Naming (The Secrets of Cats, page 17), but uses Craft instead of Naming. The blessing or curse lasts only while the web remains stuck on its target, and it takes a few minutes to craft one. Charm Weaver (Craft): You can create a small token made out of non-sticky spider silk that provides a single-use magical boon to its wielder. To activate the token the user must unravel the token, destroying it. You can weave almost any magical effect into the token, from a short-term ward to a magical attack. Making a THE SECRETS OF CATS: ANIMALS AND THREATS

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token is draining, giving you a consequence in your lowest slot. The more powerful the effect, the longer the token takes to weave, starting at about an hour for a minor effect. You must have Fate Spinner to take this stunt. Web of Lies (Craft): You can spin a web that confuses and disorients anything that sees it. Whenever something catches a glimpse of the web, roll Craft opposed by the target’s Will to inflict an aspect like Confused on them without spending an action. As long as a target can still see the web, you can take an action to reinforce or recreate the aspect with a further create an advantage action if you wish. Once the web is out of sight, the confusion aspect fades away at the end of the exchange. You can create as many of these webs as you wish. Sample Spider: Whispersilk Whispersilk is a cunning spy. She flies on skeins of silk to drop in unexpectedly on her targets, then carefully listens and watches before returning to her employers with her report. She is paid in secrets. High Concept: Trouble: True Name: Other Aspects:

Arachnid Spy Knowledge Is Power Secret-Hoarder Patient Lurker, Wicked Sense of Humor

Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Stealth Craft, Athletics Contacts, Provoke, Burglary Fight, Physique, Will, Territory

Stunts: Parachuter (Craft)—As long as you’re in at least a slight breeze, you can move to any zone in the scene with a Craft overcome roll, ignoring any opposition provided by walls or similar obstacles. Fate Spinner (Craft) Charm Weaver (Craft) Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Bees Individual bees are never sapient, but colonies of bees often develop a literal hivemind. It is difficult and disturbing to try to communicate with a sapient hive, but the effort can be worth it to obtain information about the local area. Bees travel far and wide around their hive, and hive-minds are willing to trade the information they obtain on their travels for assistance with their problems or for information of equal value.

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Some beehives produce a number of substances that are useful for healing injuries or giving strength to the weak, and can sometimes be persuaded to trade for these products. Because it is a hive-mind, a beehive does not have a True Name and enjoys +2 on defense rolls against Naming magic. A fully populated beehive is considered to be the size of a dog if it launches an allout attack. A swarm of bees is effectively immune to any attack that doesn’t affect a significant number of the bees, such as fire, gas, or a large crushing object. Beehive Character Creation Due to their alien nature, beehives are usually non-player characters. Aspects:

High concept, trouble, and 3 free aspects.

Skills:

Same as cats, but Flight replaces Athletics and no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Bee Stunts Possession: You swarm a human or animal, stinging it into submission and then climbing into its body to use like a meat puppet. When you take out a living creature, you can take control of the body and walk around in it for 24 hours. The possessed body can even talk (with a buzzing undertone to its voice). Once the possession elapses, you can decide whether their victim lives or dies.

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Ambrosia (Empathy): You can make a potent honey-like substance that grants whoever eats it strength, vigor, or another useful physical characteristic. The eater gains a beneficial situation aspect of your choice. If the eater is unwilling, roll to create an advantage with Empathy opposed by the eater’s Physique. Success bestows the aspect, failure gives the eater a boost instead. Royal Jelly: Once a scenario, you can manufacture an especially potent form of royal jelly that heals wounds if eaten fresh from the hive. This sweet, clear jelly immediately causes the eater’s worst consequence to begin recovering as if its severity level were one lower. Sample Bee Colony: The Bougainvillea Hive This hive is a natural one, built inside a massively overgrown bougainvillea plant attached to the side wall of an old, crumbling house. The bees are well supplied with pollen by the plant in which they live, though they do travel abroad to collect nectar and pollen from other plants. The hive dedicates itself to protecting the plant and the building to which it is attached. High Concept: Wild Hive Trouble: Area Scheduled for Development Other Aspects: Trespassers Will Be Stung, Never Stray Too Far, Choose Allies Wisely Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Empathy Fight, Provoke Flight, Notice, Will Physique, Territory, Lore, Investigate

Stunts: Royal Jelly Possession Psychopomp (Empathy)—+2 to Empathy when detecting an illness or injury, even if it’s hidden, and when checking whether a visible death, injury, or illness is real. Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Ants Like beehives, ant colonies occasionally develop a communal mind and reach sapience. Ant minds are single-minded to a fault, dedicated to preserving and growing the colony. They will not tolerate anything that tries to interfere with this goal, and a horde of soldier ants being directed by true intelligence is a terrifying threat. Sapient ant colonies are also adept at using other insects to their advantage; they often enslave pillbugs or beetles to perform hard labor or serve as cavalry mounts for the ant soldiers.

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Like a beehive, an ant colony has no True Name and enjoys a +2 bonus on defense rolls against Naming magic. An ant colony is effectively immune to any attack that doesn’t affect a significant number of the ants, such as fire, gas, or boiling water. Ant Character Creation Like beehives, ant colonies are usually non-player characters. Aspects:

High concept, trouble, and 3 free aspects.

Skills:

Same as cats, but no magic skills.

Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core. THE SIZE OF ANT COLONIES

The size of a colony depends on how well established it is. Large, thriving colonies could be as large as a tiger or horse on the scale ladder (The Secrets of Cats, page 20), but it’s more common for them to be the size of a cat or dog.

Ant Stunts For the Colony (Fight): At times, you must sacrifice some of your soldier ants in an all-out attack to drive off a threat. Take 2 physical stress to make a Weapon:1 attack that ignores scale. Scavenge: You pour into an area and takes as many resources—food, leaves, bark, other insects, and such—as possible, leaving nothing behind for rival colonies to find. Roll Physique against passive opposition set by the size of the area (Average for a back yard, Fantastic for an area the size of a block). Success gives you an aspect like Bounteous Supplies and afflicts the scavenged area with a Stripped Resources aspect. Sample Colony: The Picnic Grounds Colony High Concept: Territorial Ant Colony of the Picnic Grounds Trouble: Thriving Bird Population Other Aspects: Daily Routine, Well-Fed Warriors, Efficient Pheromone Trails Skills:

Great (+4) Notice Good (+3) Investigate, Territory Fair (+2) Fight, Physique, Will Average (+1) Burglary, Stealth, Athletics, Deceive

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Stunts: For the Colony (Fight) I’ve Already Won (Investigate)—If you’ve watched an opponent for a few minutes, you can use Investigate rather than Fight to attack that target in your next conflict with them. Skittish (Notice)—Even if you’re ambushed, you always act first in a conflict. Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Snails Though they have no legs and are not insects, I am including snails here. For reasons that will later become apparent, snails buck the trend of sapience being more common in predators than in prey. As snails are slow-moving gastropods that feed on sedentary plants, it is counterintuitive that so many of them are sapient. Sapient snails tend to be calm and somewhat docile, accepting events as they transpire with equanimity. Most snails gravitate to philosophical topics and spend much time thinking slowly but deeply on matters of an existential nature and discussing them with their fellow snails. Their nature particularly suits snails to prophecy and they are able to use the Seeking skill, including exclusive stunts. The main drawback of being a snail is the fact that they are tasty and easy to catch. Due to predation or accidental death the average lifespan of a snail is therefore rather too short to allow deep contemplation of any given subject. Fortunately, all sapient snails reincarnate with full memories of their previous lives, letting them continue without fuss a few weeks after they die.

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It is this cycle of reincarnation that explains the unusual number of sapient snails; once a snail becomes sapient it never truly dies. A snail’s True Name reflects the one facet of reality that it spends a majority of its time thinking about. Snail Character Creation Aspects: High concept, trouble, True Name, and 2 free aspects. Skills: Same as cats, but with no magic skills except Seeking; snails can access exclusive Seeking stunts without adding Seeker to their high concept. Stunts:

Three stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Snail Stunts No Mind (Will): You enter a mental flow state in which you’re ready to react to incoming events without thought or analysis that might cause hesitation. Entering the No Mind state is a Will create an advantage action against Average (+1) opposition (or higher if there are distractions present). You get +4 per invoke on the No Mind aspect rather than +2. This can be invoked on any action where a rapid or intuitive response is beneficial. The No Mind state lasts until the end of the scene unless an opponent manages to shock you out of it with Provoke opposed by your Will. Joined Mind: After caressing another sapient snail’s eyestalks with your own, you gain the ability to exchange thoughts with that snail at any distance. This lasts until the next sunrise or sunset, or until you join minds with a different subject. Mind Over Matter (Will): You understand that all things are one and can thus manipulate physical matter with your thoughts. By spending a fate point, you gain telekinetic abilities until the end of the scene. In this state, you can wave your eyestalks to telekinetically manipulate physical objects to attack, create advantages, or defend with Will. Ignore scale modifiers when using telekinesis. Sample Snail: Light High Concept: Unshakable Optimist Trouble: Drawn to High Places True Name: The Immanence of Light Skills:

Great (+4) Good (+3) Fair (+2) Average (+1)

Lore Empathy, Rapport Physique, Will, Seeking Stealth, Notice, Investigate, Territory

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Stunts: No Mind (Will) Mind over Matter (Will) Prognostication (Seeking, The Secrets of Cats, page 24) Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

The Sly Ones—Foxes Even though foxes are cousins to dogs, humans treat them very differently. Dogs became trusted companions, but foxes have been hunted by humans and hounds working together throughout history. Many foxes are sapient, but a rare few also unlock the ability to perform magic; those who do are greatly respected by their brothers and sisters. Sapient foxes generally keep to themselves and use their intelligence to survive and prosper in a dangerous world, but magical foxes are different. Often, a magical fox will become fixated on a single human as the focus of their uncanny attentions— whether to be close to them, trick them, taunt them, or murder them.

Fox Character Creation Aspects:

High concept, trouble, True Name, 2 free aspects, and a Fixation, the human or type of human (or much less commonly, sapient animal) on whom they are fixated for whatever reason.

Skills:

Same as cats; magical foxes can use the Shaping and Naming schools of magic, and can access their exclusive stunts.

Stunts:

Three stunts. Magical foxes also get 3 magic stunts.

Stress:

Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core.

Fox Stunts Human Form (Shaping): You are capable of transforming into a human of any sex, age, and appearance for an indefinite period. While you can choose your appearance, there is always something slightly foxy about your facial features, and

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you can be given away by your fox-shaped shadow. You’re still a fox at heart and may be forced to flee when you encounter angry dogs. Dreamwalking (Deceive): This stunt functions identically to the Dreamwalking stunt in the Seeking school (The Secrets of Cats, page 23), using Deceive instead of Seeking. Foxfire (Will): You can create eldritch blue-green fire with your tail that is bitingly cold. By spending a fate point and rolling Will, you can direct the flames to anyone or anything in your zone or an adjacent one. This action is an attack against a character, or a create an advantage against an object. If it reaches a flammable substance or person, it clings and burns like real fire, except that the damage resembles rot rather than melting and burning, and no smoke is produced. Mechanically, foxfire is identical to normal fire. Illusion (Deceive): Some magical foxes can construct illusions that are practically indistinguishable from reality. By spending a fate point, you can attempt to create an advantage with Deceive. Success allows you to overlay a complex Illusion on an entire zone that you can change and control. This illusion can fool all of the senses, including touch and smell, but those inside the zone can see through the illusion by successfully overcoming with Notice opposed by your Deceive.

Sample Fox: The Bad Teacher “Remember kids, when diluting acid, always add water to acid! Never the other way around!” The Bad Teacher becomes fixated on teachers, finding the process of transferring knowledge to the young fascinating. After stalking a suitable target for weeks or months to learn all the right mannerisms, the fox imprisons them and takes over their life. At first the fox’s lessons are innovative and exciting, though they roughly follow the teacher’s plans. Soon though the Bad Teacher’s mischievous urges take over and the fox begins to teach factually incorrect—even dangerous—information. Eventually the inevitable consequences of these “pranks” lead to the fox being ousted and forced to return to life as an animal…until the next time. And what about the imprisoned teacher the fox was replacing? Well, sometimes the Bad Teacher remembers to let them out before escaping, which is when their troubles really begin. High Concept: Trouble: True Name:

Mischievous Teacher of Bad Lessons It’s So Easy to Take a Prank Too Far! Lies to Children

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Fixation: Other Aspect:

Teachers Learning Is Fun!

Skills:

Great (+4) Deceive Good (+3) Rapport, Shaping Fair (+2) Physique, Will, Lore Average (+1) Burglary, Notice, Naming, Athletics

Stunts: Human Form (Shaping) Illusion (Deceive) Literate (Lore)—You can read and write. Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

INTERLUDE You’re trying to pay attention to Hieronymous’s lesson, you really are, but it has been a very long day and the owl’s lengthy monologue eventually lulls you into a doze. You jerk awake as your chin hits your chest and try to act nonchalantly, as if you were just looking down at the ground for a minute. With a start, you realise that the owl is no longer perched on his branch. How long have you been asleep?! The old bird must have noticed you doze off and flown off in a huff. Your heart beats like a triphammer as you try to imagine how you’re going to explain this to your mentor. She will not be amused.

SKRAAAAAWK! You practically jump out of your skin as Satan’s teakettle screams right in your ear. You leap about two feet into the air and twist at the same time so that you land facing in the opposite direction. There’s nothing there. You look around wildly, trying to spot the danger, but there’s nothing to see. You gulp and glance back up at the owl’s branch. Hieronymous is perched there as if he never left, his head cocked to one side with one eye closed and the other looking at you knowingly. “If you’re finished with your nap,” the owl says drily, “perhaps I might continue with my lesson?” You nod, determined to stay awake this time, and Hieronymous begins to speak once more.

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PART TWO: THREATS The Undead It is commonly believed that death is an undiscovered country from which no traveler returns. Like many common beliefs this is not entirely accurate, for sometimes the dead really do come back to haunt, terrorize, or murder the living. From shambling puppets animated by sorcery to cunning, blood-sucking predators, the undead exist in many forms. And most of them are extremely dangerous to the living.

Revenants A revenant is a ghost that has become bound to its own mortal remains, allowing it to rise from the grave and walk once more among the living. Some ghosts are so driven toward redemption or revenge that this happens spontaneously, but more often a revenant is deliberately raised by a necromancer (see Conduit, page 9). A revenant can rise even if its body is completely decayed, its bones held together and animated by sheer force of will. Revenants are incredibly resilient and can easily ignore injuries that would incapacitate a living target. If a revenant’s body is destroyed, its ghost dissipates until the next new moon, when it reappears at one of its anchors. If its body was its only anchor, the ghost is destroyed. If a revenant resolves its unfinished business, its body immediately crumbles to dust and the ghost rushes to its final reward. This happens even if the revenant was raised by a necromancer rather than of its own volition, which can be terribly inconvenient for the necromancer. Canny death magicians feed their revenants closure one crumb at a time to keep them controllable. A revenant not bound by a necromancer can give up on its physical form at will, causing its body to immediately slump back into death. While it isn’t impossible to become a revenant for a second time, most ghosts never find the motivation. THE SECRETS OF CATS: ANIMALS AND THREATS

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Revenant Mechanics Aspects: High concept, Unfinished Business, and up to 3 other aspects. If the revenant has any anchors other than its body, they must be mentioned in its aspects. GHOST ASPECTS Use the Unfinished Business aspect with all ghosts, not just those who have risen as revenants, by replacing the ghost’s trouble. It is essentially the same aspect, just renamed to focus attention on what’s keeping the ghost from passing on to its final reward. With this in mind, the Burning Ghost from The Secrets of Cats (page 41) would change his trouble to an Unfinished Business like Cursed to Haunt the Old Mining Museum Until I Restore My Grandfather’s Reputation. Here the aspect also serves to specify the ghost’s Anchor, the Old Mining Museum.

Skills and Stunts: Revenants are created as ghosts and have approaches rather than skills, but they lose access to their spirit stunts while locked inside their corpses. Stress and Consequences: Revenants have physical stress equal to their ghost’s spiritual stress but are immune to bullets, knives, baseball bats, and other localized traumas. Causing serious harm to one requires spiritual damage or something that inflicts massive physical trauma such as fire, explosives, a wood chipper, or a car crusher. You can lop or shoot off a revenant’s body parts by creating advantages against it, but it doesn’t get you any closer to taking it out, and it can re-attach severed parts if you give it a chance. Sample Revenant: Professor Samuel Sweet Professor Sweet was a tenured professor at a prestigious university until he had a brush with a ghost and grew obsessed with proving that ghosts can be explained using quantum physics. He became a laughing stock, lost his tenure, and died during an attempt to bring on a near-death experience to explore his theories. He died with such a strong desire to prove himself right that he emerged from his grave as a revenant just a few weeks after he was buried. Sad-faced and bloated with decomposition gases, the professor now cuts a disturbingly comedic figure as he continually tries to gain access to the university’s research labs to further his work, leading to an escalating series of encounters with Campus Security.

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High Concept:

Discredited Professor of Physics

Unfinished Business:

Prove My Theory

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Other Aspects: Drawn to the Campus’s High-Energy Physics Facility, Nobody Will Laugh at Me Now!, Always Looking for a Research Assistant Approaches: Good (+3) Clever Fair (+2) Careful, Sneaky Average (+1) Quick, Flashy Mediocre (+0) Forceful Stunts: These aren’t available while the professor is a revenant. Publish (Clever): By taking 1 stress, the professor can reach into a computer, word processor, or electric typewriter, then create a text in the device’s disc drive or buffer. He usually uses this to create academic texts and articles. Generally, this simply creates a new piece of academic lore, but may create an aspect. Quantum Entanglement (Sneaky): By taking 1 stress, the professor can entangle himself with a human target, making them one of his anchors. The effect lasts until they die, he relinquishes his hold on them, or he uses this stunt on someone else. This is a Sneaky create an advantage roll opposed by the target’s Will. Schrodinger’s Cat (Clever): Professor Sweet temporarily superimposes his quantum states so that he is both alive and dead for a brief moment. In this state, he can appear to the living as a flickering ghost and physically interact with objects. This tiring ability costs 1 stress and only lasts until the end of the exchange. Spiritual Stress:

2

Devourers Sometimes a human or animal rises from the dead filled with a terrible hunger for the living. Such a creature must frequently devour sapient beings to maintain its undead state. Most drink blood, but others sustain themselves with flesh or organs, bone marrow, tears, eye jelly, or less tangible substances like emotion. Some devourers chose to become undead through infernal pacts or vile sorcery (or had undeath inflicted on them by the sorcery of others), but most were turned at the claws or fangs of an existing devourer. Those who were made undead by magic are called progenitors, and each of them has a distinct set of powers and weaknesses that are passed on to its descendants. It usually takes a deliberate effort of will for a devourer to curse a victim with undeath, so a vampire need not fear spreading its curse to every victim whom it devours. A zombie, on the other hand…

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Devourer Mechanics Aspects: High concept, Hunger, Vulnerability, and up to 2 other aspects. Its Hunger defines what the devourer consumes and can be specific or general (e.g., Young Blood, Spleens). After each day that the devourer hasn’t fed, this aspect changes to reflect the creature’s growing need for sustenance: •

One day without food: Craving (e.g., Craving Young Blood)

•

Two days without food: Desperate (e.g., Desperate for Young Blood)

•

Three days without food: Starving (e.g., Starving for Young Blood)

When a devourer enters the Starving phase they can no longer use any of their supernatural stunts, though they can still invoke their high concept to perform inhuman feats. The devourer takes a consequence for each day it doesn’t feed after the third, until it is taken out. For some monsters this results in final death, while others slip into a torporous state until a potential victim draws near. A devourer’s main Vulnerability defines what can kill it (e.g., Staking and Decapitation, Headshots). Some Vulnerabilities mean that the devourer can by killed by things that are harmless to normal creatures (e.g., Burned by Sunlight). Skills and Stunts: Same as cats, except for magic skills. Devourers start with 3 stunts and 3 devourer stunts. They can buy additional devourer stunts by taking additional Vulnerabilities, one for one. Additional Vulnerabilities may be lethal or non-lethal; for examples, see page 26. Devourers can also buy additional stunts of either type with their refresh, as normal.

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Stress: Stress and Consequences as per Fate Core. If a devourer is taken out, it can be permanently killed if a Vulnerability was used on the final attack. Otherwise it’s either immobilized or only temporarily killed. Example: Eduardo, a classical vampire, has the Vulnerability of Burned by Sunlight. If he is caught outdoors and burned by the sun, it can permanently kill him. By contrast, a flesh-eating zombie can be taken out with Headshots. Feeding and Healing: To feed, a devourer must inflict a feeding consequence upon its prey. For example, a vampire must inflict a Savage Bite or Anemia consequence. This can happen in a conflict, but more often the devourer must immobilize its prey and then feed. Inflicting a feeding consequence allows the devourer to either improve its hunger aspect by one step (e.g., Starving to Desperate) or begin recovering one of its own consequences of the same severity or lower. This is the only way a devourer can heal consequences (unless it can be repaired surgically, for example a zombie or Frankenstein’s monster). If the devourer takes out its prey and then kills it through feeding—a process that takes at least a few uninterrupted minutes—this resets its Hunger aspect to fully fed and begins the recovery of all of its consequences, even if the victim had no unfilled consequence slots. Passing On the Curse: If the devourer kills a victim after dealing at least one feeding consequence, it can choose to raise them from the dead as one of its descendants. For some types of devourers, such as zombies, this is automatic rather than a choice. Devourer Stunts Animal Form: The devourer can transform itself into a single animal such as a wolf or bat. While in animal form the devourer gains an appropriate aspect (e.g., Wolf Form). This stunt can be taken multiple times. Corpse Flesh: This devourer uses the same rules as a revenant for stress and consequences (page 21). This doesn’t apply to attacks that align with a Vulnerability. Magical Stunts: A devourer can buy any stunt from the schools of feline magic. (Invisibility from the Warding school on page 16 of The Secrets of Cats is a common choice.) Whenever such a stunt prompts to roll a magic skill, roll Will instead. Mist Form: The devourer becomes a cloud of mist, gaining Mist Form. This lets it fit through any crevice that isn’t airtight, and makes it invulnerable to any attack that doesn’t use an applicable Vulnerability (e.g., a vampire in Mist Form

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is immune to being staked through the heart but not sunlight), but limits it to moving no more than one zone per exchange. Mind Control: By locking eyes with a subject, the devourer can make them freeze in place or hesitate at a crucial moment. This lets the devourer defend against physical attacks with Provoke. Unholy Strength (2 stunts): The devourer is capable of terrifying feats of strength thanks to its undead state. +4 to Physique rolls when overcoming obstacles or creating advantages by using pure strength. Regeneration: When the devourer inflicts a feeding consequence, this immediately removes one of the devourer’s consequences of the same severity or lower, instead of just beginning its recovery. Plague: The devourer can summon a plague of insects or animals, itchy boils, or similar afflictions. By successfully creating an advantage with Will, the devourer applies an appropriate aspect to a zone or everyone in it. When you choose this stunt, append the title with the appropriate description (e.g., Plague of Locusts). Vulnerabilities The devourer’s main Vulnerability is a method by which it can be permanently killed. Other vulnerabilities gained by taking extra stunts can also be things that harm or are fatal to the devourer, or can represent weaknesses that severely limit its actions in some situations. Here are some examples:

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•

Can’t Cross Running Water (cannot cross rivers and other flowing water)

•

Repulsed by Garlic (must succeed on a Will roll to stay near garlic, and can be burned by raw garlic)

•

Headshots (can be killed with headshots)

•

Can’t Enter a Home Uninvited (cannot cross the threshold of a home until invited)

•

Compelled to Count Spilled Rice (when the devourer encounters spilled rice, it must stop to count the grains—this is a literal compel)

•

Staking and Decapitation (this method can permanently kill the devourer)

•

Burned by Sunlight (direct sunlight attacks the devourer as if it were a fire)

•

Repulsed by Cats (must succeed on a Will roll to remain near a cat, opposed by the feline’s Provoke)

•

Unintelligent Shambler (this devourer is slow and incapable of intelligent thought)

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Sample Devourer: Abel Maximillian Maximillian is known as an eccentric millionaire philanthropist. Heir to a large fortune, he lives in a castle that was imported brick by brick from England and dispenses funds to a variety of worthy causes, including scholarships to the nearby university. He is also an immortal, blood-sucking monster. Maximillian descends from his castle on the hill in mist form every night and hunts the blood of students. He usually takes just enough blood to sustain himself, leaving his victims feeling weak but not permanently harmed. Once a month, at the new moon, he indulges himself with a feeding to the death. High Concept: Hunger: Vulnerability: Other Aspects:

Millionaire, Philanthropist, Vampire Young Blood Staking and Decapitation Iron Self-Control, Friends in High Places

Skills:

Great (+4) Resources Good (+3) Fight, Deceive Fair (+2) Will, Contacts, Athletics Average (+1) Physique, Stealth, Provoke, Lore

Stunts: Invisibility (Warding—Will, The Secrets of Cats, page 16) Regeneration Mist Form Unholy Strength Mind Control Surprise! (Stealth)—Once per session you can reveal your hidden presence in a scene you weren’t in. Gain a boost Surprise! which lasts for one exchange. Philanthropist (Resources)—Lots of your wealth is tied up in scholarships, foundations and trusts. Use Resources instead of Rapport when interacting with recipients of your philanthropy. The Desperation of Hunger (Fight)—+2 to Fight rolls to subdue prey if your Hunger aspect is at Desperate or Starving. Vulnerabilities: Burned by Sunlight, Can’t Cross Running Water, Repulsed by Garlic Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 2; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

The Invested Some spirits are capable of endowing humans or sapient animals with potent supernatural abilities. While there are spirits who do this out of kindness or for enigmatic reasons, most of them only empower those who agree to become their

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servants. Some ancient and terrifyingly powerful ghosts learn the ability to invest servants with power, but most spirits who do so are angels, demons, or spirits of nature.

Angels and Demons These incredibly powerful spirits rarely involve themselves directly in the affairs of sapient beings, preferring instead to use invested servants to pursue their mysterious agendas. Telling angel from demon can be difficult as such beings can take on any appearance they please, but by their deeds you can know them. Demons invest their servants with the power to hurt or corrupt those around them, while angels strengthen those who would protect or purify others. Though, when such purity is brought about through annihilation, that can be cold comfort indeed. Angels and demons maintain a clear-cut power imbalance in their relationships with their invested servants, though they express this in many different ways. Where one angel directs his servants with firm but fair instructions, another rules through fear of his righteous wrath. One demon manipulates her servant by giving him rewards when he serves pleasingly, while another treats it as a business relationship where she is the boss and the servant is her employee.

Nature Spirits There are many kinds of nature spirits. Some are spirits of an individual tree, or mountain, or woods, while others are animal spirits or spirits of emotion. Nature spirits sometimes invest servants with power to help them protect and preserve the objects and locations with which they are associated, or to cleanse and take care of the natural world as a whole. Spirit animals sometimes invest a physical avatar to help them in propagating and protecting the species they represent. Relations between nature spirits and their invested servants are much more fluid than those enjoyed by angels and demons with their servitors. They tend to issue requests rather than instructions, though there are often consequences if their requests are ignored without good cause.

Invested Mechanics Becoming Invested Any character can become Invested by agreeing to a pact with a powerful enough spirit. When a character becomes Invested, change an aspect to show their relationship with their master, and add the Investments granted to them as part of the pact. The character must either swap out existing stunts for these Investments or reduce his refresh to accommodate them as he chooses (to a minimum of 1 refresh, as normal).

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Items of Power Every Invested is given an Item of Power, which they must have on their person in order to use their Investments. If they lose it or it’s stolen from them, they cannot access their Investments until they get the item back or can persuade their master to furnish them with a replacement.

Investments An Investment is a potent magical stunt. Because they come at the price of serving a master, Investments are more powerful than most other stunts. An Invested character can only select Investments that are thematically appropriate to the spirit providing them. Silver-Tongued (Rapport): When the Invested is engaged in a contest to persuade someone to do something in accordance with his master’s wishes, +4 to Rapport rolls. Beast Control (Will): The Invested can call upon non-sapient creatures for assistance. She can create advantages related to the help provided by those creatures (e.g., Swarm of Flies) or summon nearby creatures to fight for her— which is useful if there are any bears around. To do so, roll Will against opposition determined by the animal’s size on the scale ladder (The Secrets of Cats, page 20), where Insects are at Average (+1) and horses are at Legendary (+8). Each shift summons one animal or, for insects, one swarm. This stunt does not create creatures from nothing—the creatures must exist somewhere in the area, and creatures that are far away may take some time to arrive. The Invested can only control one group of creatures at once, but can end control at any time. If the Invested is controlling multiple creatures, they form a mob and cannot take individual actions. During a given exchange, the Invested can act herself or through her summoned animals, but not both, though she can provide a teamwork bonus to them and vice versa. Infect (Provoke): The Invested touches a target and infects it with a chosen disease. This is a Weapon:3 Provoke attack. The target defends with Athletics if it attempts to avoid being touched, but otherwise defends with Physique. If the attack inflicts a consequence, then the disease has progressed unnaturally fast and immediately inflicts symptoms on the victim (e.g., Respiratory Distress). Otherwise, it follows the normal progression for the disease. Create a disease “character” as per the Fate Fractal (Fate Core, page 270) that periodically attempts to create advantages against or attack the character. True Sight (Notice): The Invested is unnaturally clear-sighted. Illusions, invisibility, shadows, and lies are not sources of opposition to her, and she can see anchored spirits and astral travellers without rolling. However, her True Sight THE SECRETS OF CATS: ANIMALS AND THREATS

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can be invoked or compelled against her when she sees too clearly, causing her pain or difficulty.

Sample Demon-Invested: Travelling Salesmen These trilby-wearing grey-suited people turn up on people’s doorsteps and offer things that are too good to be true: a cure for grandma’s cancer, a way to stop smoking or drinking instantly (or to get someone else to), or something equally desirable. In exchange you just have to give them a token payment—and your immortal soul or your eldest child. Sadly, some people are desperate, nihilistic, or greedy enough to agree, especially given the Salesmen’s unnatural powers of persuasion. Unfortunately for the mark, the sale and exchange are immediate. On making the deal they lose their soul and become a numbed, inhuman monster. And after the seven-day buyer’s remorse period, the sale is final. Of course, numbed and inhuman monsters are generally incapable of feeling remorse. In exchange for their services the Salesmen get a share of the energy released when their master takes a victim’s soul. In addition to a psychically addictive rush of power, each sale keeps them alive and unaging for another month. This can make a Salesman who hasn’t made a sale yet this month very desperate indeed to make sure a sale sticks (hence their Trouble aspect). Can you hunt down the salesman before you run out of time and your Burdens become soulless husks—or their children are turned into the next generation of Salesmen by Mammon, the demonic overlord that controls these sinister sellers?

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High Concept: Trouble:

Travelling Salesman for Mammon I’m On Commission

Other Aspects: Item of Power:

I Know What You Want, Seller’s Remorse, I Could Sell Sand in a Desert Trilby

Skills:

Great (+4) Rapport Good (+3) Deceive, Empathy Fair (+2) Stealth, Physique, Burglary Average (+1) Will, Notice, Fight, Investigate

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Investments: Faustian Bargain—This Investment enables the Salesman to give the target what he really wants in exchange for his soul or eldest child, including impossible or intangible things like healing the sick or making someone love the target. Silver-Tongued (Rapport) Stunts: Best Foot Forward (Rapport)—Twice per session, the Salesman can upgrade a Rapport boost into a situation aspect with a free invocation. Lying to Myself (Deceive)—Use Deceive rather than Will to determine your extra mental stress boxes. You Know You Want This (Deceive)—+2 on Deceive rolls to make people believe that something you’re selling is better than it actually is. Refresh:

2

Stress and Consequences: Mental 3, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

Evil Cats Some cats shun the code of conduct agreed upon by their local Parliament and draw from forbidden sources of power, most commonly by sacrificing sapient beings to fuel their magic. Such a sacrifice allows the feline to achieve extraordinary feats, accompanied by an intense rush that is far more addictive than catnip. Cats who indulge in sacrifice of sapient beings are sometimes haunted by their victims, and of course face censure or execution if the other cats of their Parliament find out what they have done.

Evil Cat Mechanics By sacrificing a sapient being, the feline can either immediately gain +4 to a magic roll being powered by the sacrifice, or activate a forbidden magical stunt. Sacrificing a sapient cat provides a particularly potent rush of power, conferring +8 to the magic roll or +4 to the roll to activate a forbidden magical stunt. Sacrificing a sapient life for the first time is such a profoundly affecting action that it permanently changes the cat’s True Name for the darker. For example, if a cat named Enigmatic Haunter sacrificed a sapient being, he might become Manipulative Haunter. The rush of power that comes from sacrificing a sapient victim and channeling their life essence into a magical effect is addictive in its own right, and gives the cat a propensity for seeking out power in other areas of his life. So, the Manipulative Haunter would add Power-Addicted to his high concept or trouble.

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Sacrificing a sapient cat provides a particularly potent rush of power and corrupts just as strongly. A cat who performs this vile action for the first time changes his True Name to something truly evil and adds Power-Mad to his high concept or trouble. If the sacrificed cat was a master of a school of magic, the sacrificer can gain mastery of that school instead of gaining a bonus or activating a stunt. This is the only way a cat can become a master of more than one school, and a serial cat-killer can even master all four schools. However, each sacrifice of a feline warps another of the cat’s aspects toward evil. Forbidden Magical Stunts These stunts can only be used by sacrificing a sapient victim specifically for such a purpose. This usually involves taking out the target to incapacitate them and then killing them at the right moment. Monstrous Form (Shaping, Exclusive): By sacrificing a victim, the feline takes on a huge, terrifying battle-form until the next sunrise or sunset. The size of a horse, the cat gains the ability to walk on his hind legs indefinitely, and his paws become dexterous hands with terrible sheathed claws. While in this form, gain +2 to Provoke rolls to incite fear, +2 to Physique rolls related to raw strength, Weapon:2 claws, and an additional mild consequence slot. However, a monstrous feline is subject to bestial fury that can be compelled or invoked against him. Invulnerability (Warding, Exclusive): The feline whispers her True Name and then a list of sources of harm as she sacrifices a sapient being and bathes in its blood. Until the next new moon, she becomes invulnerable to all named sources of harm. This is a Warding create an advantage roll with opposition that increases with the number of named sources of harm. When naming sources of harm, something like “cats” or “rocks” increases the opposition by two, while each specific, named individual increases it by one. If the cat knows one’s True Name, that individual doesn’t increase the opposition. On a success, the feline gains an aspect that represents her invulnerability to all named sources of harm. On a tie, she gains the same aspect but notes one location on her body where the blood didn’t touch (e.g., Except On Her Leg), leaving it vulnerable. If the victim is smaller than the cat, she must add this vulnerable location even if she succeeds on the roll—the victim just doesn’t contain enough blood to completely cover her body. If the cat’s reach exceeds her grasp and she fails the roll, she suffers crippling pain, taking 1 physical stress for each shift of failure as her body withers and ages due to magical feedback.

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Example: Meowphisto uses Invulnerability to make himself invulnerable to cats, dogs, Jezzabella, and rats. Naming cats, dogs, and rats increases the opposition by two each, but he knows Jezzabella’s True Name so naming her doesn’t add to the opposition. His total opposition is Fantastic (+6). He rolls a tie, so he gains the aspect Invulnerable to Cats, Dogs, Rats, and Jezzabella Except on My Stomach. If the feline wishes to change the named sources of harm from which she is protected, she must sacrifice another victim and use this stunt again. This power does not protect against mental attacks, only physical attacks directly from the named source. A named source of harm is perfectly literal: someone invulnerable to cats can still be killed if a cat drops a boulder on him—unless he is also invulnerable to rocks. Lord of Nightmares (Seeking, Exclusive): The feline uses this hellish power to inflict terrifying dreams on everyone in a wide area, leaving them shaken and vulnerable. Sacrificing a sapient being, the twisted cat channels the energy released at death into the area’s dreamscapes, causing all dreamers to suffer tormenting nightmares that leave them drained and exhausted. Roll to create an advantage with Provoke against opposition according to the size of the target area—a block of housing provides Fair (+2) opposition, while a city provides Epic (+7) opposition. If he succeeds, every sapient being in the target area shares a nightmare of his design. Each victim gains a suitable aspect that heals as if it were a moderate consequence, except that it begins recovering without a roll once the victim gets a good night’s sleep. The lord of nightmares only gets one free invoke, or two if he succeeds with style, on these nightmare aspects, regardless of how many victims are affected. On a tie, the nightmare is briefer or less intense, and the feline gets a boost instead of an aspect. Failure turns the power back upon the cat, inflicting Psychic Feedback on him, an aspect which heals as if it were a moderate consequence. Erasure (Naming, Exclusive): This terrible power allows the cat to erase a target from existence, wherever he is. The Namer daubs the target’s True Name in blood on a sapient being, and then sacrifices it. She and the target then enter a psychic conflict. In this conflict, the cat attacks with Naming, and the target attacks with Provoke or Rapport, and both defend with Will. The conflict takes place in a dreamscape where each zone represents an important part of the target’s life. When the target takes a consequence, his current zone disappears, that part of his life is erased, and the combatants are dumped in a neighboring zone. Example: A man is being erased by an evil Namer, and the zone in which they are fighting is the place where he and his spouse met. The Namer inflicts a severe

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consequence on the man, so he writes down Erased From My Family’s Life. His wife and son have forgotten that he ever existed. If taken out, the Namer’s victim becomes nothing but an ephemeral shade, and all memories and evidence of his existence disappear. While in this state the victim is a spirit with neither an anchor nor supernatural stunts. If the Namer is taken out, she dies or falls into a coma according to the victim’s choice. When the Namer dies, all of the victims she has erased—and the physical evidence associated with them, like photographs—are returned to existence at once.

Sample Evil Cat: Kubla Khan Kubla Khan first sacrificed a sapient being with the best of intentions. His family was endangered by a vampire and this Namer sacrificed a sapient rat to gain the power he needed to defeat the leech and protect his family. Unfortunately the rush of power was too pleasurable and addictive for him to stop with only one sacrifice, and despite the shame and disgust he felt for himself every time he kept making excuses as to why he had to sacrifice other sapients to protect the town and his Burden. Then a young cat named Safari privately confronted him about his actions, naively hoping to persuade Kubla Khan to turn himself in to the Parliament. Desperate to keep his secret and thinking at least he could turn the cat’s death to some good by using his life energy to protect the town, Kubla Khan sacrificed Safari to erase from existence an evil spirit that had been plaguing the townspeople in their dreams. Now Kubla Khan waits patiently for another evil to rise, another cat to discover his secret, so that he feels justified in taking more of that sweet, sweet power for himself…

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High Concept: Power-Mad Namer and Seeker Trouble: I Secretly Want to Be Caught Burden: The Almirez Family True Name: Soul-Eater Other Aspects: The End Justifies the Means, Blind to My Own Evil Skills:

Great (+4) Naming Good (+3) Seeking, Will Fair (+2) Fight, Athletics Average (+1) Territory, Warding, Physique, Stealth

Stunts: Erasure (Naming) Lord of Nightmares (Seeking) Harm (Naming, The Secret of Cats, page 18) Control (Naming, The Secrets of Cats, page 19) Animate (Naming, The Secrets of Cats, page 18) Night Terror (Provoke)—+2 to Provoke rolls to intimidate people at night. We’re a Lot Alike (Investigate)—Point out that you and a foe are very similar. Roll Investigate opposed by their Will. If you succeed, each of you gains one of the other’s aspects until the end of the scene, and you get a free invoke on both. If you succeed with style, gain a second free invoke on one of those two aspects. Nine Lives (General)—When you would be taken out of a physical conflict, give your opponent a fate point to concede instead. Stress and Consequences: Mental 4, Physical 3; mild, moderate, and severe consequences

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CODA Hieronymous stretches his wings and yawns, then looks down at you once again with his great, unblinking stare. “You see, I saved the worst and most terrible danger for last. It is easy to deal with outside threats, with creatures that are obviously malevolent or evil. It is far harder to deal with the danger that arises from within. That danger could be from within your own ranks—the cat you know and respect who goes too far in protecting community until he is a monster himself—or it could rise from within you. “Rather than asking yourself what lengths you would go to in order to uphold your sacred duty, consider instead what lengths you would never go to. Where do you draw the line? What sacrifices are you willing to make to keep yourself from following that dark path? “So, our lesson is at an end and it is time for you to return home. Remember what I have taught you, and tell your teacher that my debt is now discharged. “Be warned.” The owl leaps aloft on silent wings and disappears. You shiver, unsure if from the cold or the mild sense of dread imparted by Hieronymous’s last words. As you wend your way out of the Blue Moon Woods, a rodent’s distant shriek is cut short. Sometimes you’re the predator, and sometimes you’re the prey.

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RANDOM DEVOURER FEATURES Roll once for each column to generate a random Devourer. Roll

Fatal Other Vulnerability Vulnerability

Food Source

0000

Virgins

Poisons nearby plants

Hope

000-

Electricity

Must sleep on native soil

Tongues

00--

Holy Stuff

Compelled to count spilled rice

Livers

0---

Drowning

Can’t cross running water

Hearts

----

Mistletoe, Oak, Rowan, or Yew

Constantly dripping blood

Youth

+000

Extreme Cold

Can’t resist gloating

Testicles or Ovaries

+00-

Sunlight

Can’t enter a home uninvited

Brains

+0--

Silver

Unintelligent shambler

* Blood (roll on Blood Types table)

+---

Love

Weakened during the day

Salt

++00

Stake through the heart

Scared of own reflection

Spleens

++0-

Decapitation

Scared of fire

Psychic Energy

++--

Headshots

Repulsed by * (roll on Repulsions table)

Eyeballs

+++0

Fire

Anachronism

Bones or Bone Marrow

+++-

Impaled Stomach

Terrifies non-sapient animals

Sanity

++++

Cats

Rotting Body

Cats

BLOOD TYPES

REPULSIONS

--

ROLL

Young

Own Name

0-

Old

Cats

-+

Drugged

Holy Symbols

00

In Love

A Specific Flower or Herb

0+

Diseased

Laughter

++

Male/Female

Salt

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RANDOM PLOT HOOKS Stuck for inspiration? Roll on this table for a random plot hook.

38

Roll

Plot Hook

0000

A sapient canine who has been recruiting and training an army of viciously loyal dogs declares war on the local Parliament of Cats.

000-

A sapient swarm of bees moves into one of the Parliament’s favorite meeting areas and refuses to move while their original hive is under threat by human construction workers.

00--

A Devourer (roll its details on the previous table) starts feeding on humans in the nearby area. The group is assigned by the Parliament to investigate, but it rapidly becomes clear that there’s more going on that it first appears Someone or something is controlling the Devourer and using it to target specific humans... but how, and why?

0---

A rash of terrifying nightmares begins to afflict the neighborhood, leaving people and cats alike feeling drained and exhausted. Is this just a seasonal thing, or is there a malevolent entity out there, somewhere, manipulating the dreams of the slumberers and drawing terrible plans against them?

----

One of the group is accused of sacrificing sapient lives by a member of the Parliament of Cats in good standing. Can they prove their innocence? Who is framing them and why?

+000

A sapient fox becomes obsessed with one of the characters’ Burdens and replaces them while the cat is busy on another mission. At first the fox tries valiantly to pass as the human being replaced, but over time they can’t help but express their mischievous nature. How long will it take the group to realize what’s happened and rush to rescue the human before he starves to death wherever the fox has hidden him?

+00-

An arachnid visits the local Parliament of Cats to offer intelligence in exchange for support against an aggressive raven that delights in eating spiders. The group is assigned to deal with the issue, preferably by negotiating with the raven rather than by getting rid of him permanently. Meanwhile, they are asked by the leader of the Parliament to investigate the arachnid and ascertain its value as an agent.

+0--

A bedraggled and injured cat arrives in the area and immediately requests asylum from the Parliament of Cats, having been attacked and hounded out of his own city by the evil felines who live there. When a group of felines from the asylum seeker’s town arrive and demand he be handed over to them to answer for his many crimes, who should the Parliament believe? Can they handle things without triggering a diplomatic incident?

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Roll

Plot Hook

+---

A wishing well in the town begins to grant the wishes of those who throw money into it, to the consternation of the Parliament. What unnatural force is bending reality to make wishes come true, and after the down-payment of a coin in the well, what price will it charge for its ‘help’?

++00

A young person finds an ancient and illegible grimoire in the town’s library and is Invested by a spirit bound within the book. The young person begins to trade the knowledge they now possess for seemingly random and inconsequential favours, but over time a cunning and dangerous masterplan begins to unfold...

++0-

A plague of revenants arises in the nearby area, with even relatively weak ghosts trickling back into their bodies to fulfil their last objectives against all the laws of nature. Someone or something is disrupting the balance of life and death in an unprecedented way... and needs to be dealt with even if they don’t have an obviously hostile agenda.

++--

The group is assigned to guard an important cat who’s visiting from another Parliament to discuss the issues arising in the area where their territories rub against each other. The dignitary is injured in a clumsy attempt on his life and the group pressured to find out who was responsible, with all the evidence pointing to an inside job...

+++0

One of the wisest snails in the area died a few months ago and has so far failed to re-incarnate. The local molluscs are deeply concerned that their friend might be lost for good, and seek assistance from the Parliament. Where is the snail’s soul and why hasn’t it reincarnated? The group is assigned the task of finding out, with the wise snail’s overeager disciple following their every move, determined to do all he can to help even if it inconveniences the Parliament.

+++-

For some reason the neighbourhood spirits are growing restless, appearing at random intervals to cause havock among the living. It’s all thanks to the activities of a lone rabbit, a shaman who serves a minor God of Chaos.

++++

A cat who has been missing for a month or more suddenly shows up and asks for volunteers to help them to finish exploring a strange spirit realm in which they have been trapped. What is this place, and why is the returned cat being so close-mouthed? Can they be trusted, or is this all an elaborate trap?

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